• 100 x 35 campaign

• Premiere of Flag of Steel

• 30th Peoples Parade

• Crime Against Humanity Play

• Premiere of Nothing Like the Holiday

• 15th Annual Fiesta Boricua

• 20th Anniversary Vida/SIDA

• Premiere of Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story

• Casa Puertorriqueña Presidential Election

• Petition Drive for a Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Rebaño Church.

Humboldt Park community residents gathered at Batey Urbano (2620 W. Division) to prepare for one of Puerto Rico’s most cherished cultural traditions. This tradition, which has taken place for over a century in Puerto Rico, has finally made its way onto the streets of the chilly Windy City.

Despite the wicked wind, nearly 100 people came out to participate in the 2nd annual ¡Humboldt Park NO SE VENDE! Parranda on Paseo Boricua on December 20. The sounds of panderetas, tamboriles, güiros, maracas and palitos unleashed into the eardrums of everyone on Paseo Boricua.

The Parranda visited Paseo Boricua businesses such as Café Colao, La Bruquena, Yauco Liquors, Latin American, Lily’s Record Shop, La Plena, Luquillo Barbershop, and Papa’s Cache. It ended at the Teresa Roldán Apartments on Paseo Boricua, where the building residents and all who participated in retaining the holiday spirit were welcomed to dance, sing, drink hot chocolate, play dominoes, and eat a delicious Puerto Rican meal. All in all, old man winter could not ruin our Caribbean ritual as it turns out that the spiritual warmth inside of all Puerto Ricans proved more powerful. Organized by the ¡Humboldt Park NO SE VENDE! campaign, which is a project of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, with support from Alderman Billy Ocasio (26th Ward) the parranda was yet another example of how important it is to maintain our culture as we fight against gentrification and in the process, keep our traditions strong for future generations.

Internationally recognized artist Manny Vega made a unique visit to Chicago last week to install an original 19-foot mosaic in the courtyard of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC).  Mosaics are one of Puerto Rico’s most fundamental traditional art forms.  The finished mosaic will be on permanent display at IPRAC.

Vega, known for his public art projects in New York City, constructed the mosaic in his New York studio and shipped the piece to Chicago.  It is constructed of granite, marble and slate tiles.  In the center of the mosaic, is a map of Puerto Rico surrounded by symbolic representations of Puerto Rican life and culture.

“This mosaic is a reflection of all the things that make us who we are – the music, the culture even the nature,” says Vega.  “I am honored to have my work become a part of the rich history of the Chicago Puerto Rican community.”

IPRAC hosted on-site workshops and visits from youth and schoolchildren of the community during the installation.  Students from neighboring Roberto Clemente Community Academy’s Radio/Television Program filmed the installation as part of a documentary about IPRAC and its historic location in the former Humboldt Park Stable.

The Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC) is an arts and educational institution devoted to the promotion, integration and advancement of Puerto Rican arts and culture.  IPRAC has been bringing visual arts and exhibition programming and arts education workshops to the community since 2001 and is nearing the completion of the interior renovation of the historic Humboldt Park Stables.  Once open, IPRAC will be the only museum in the nation dedicated to Puerto Rican arts and culture.  The museum will be home to a permanent collection of works created exclusively by Puerto Rican artists and will offer a year-round exhibition program, an oral histories program, a lecture series, educational workshops, a film series, an annual fine arts and crafts festival, art instruction and performing arts presentations.

Days before the 15th Annual Fiesta Boricua, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) unveiled two news additions to the cultural landscape of Paseo Boricua. These cultural expressions, a mural and sculpture, add to the uniqueness of Paseo Boricua, nuestro “pedacito de patria.”

Renowned Puerto Rican artists Pablo Marcano and Rosana Vazquez Medina presented their newest mural in Humboldt Park to over 100 people. The mural is found at the new annex of the PRCC (2700 W. Haddon). The mural, which is composed of several parts, features colorful renditions of Juan Antonio Corretjer and Lolita Lebrón; two important 20th century figures in Puerto Rico. These figures represent the legacy of struggle and resistance that characterize the PRCC’s community work. This is not the first local mural created by Marcano. He is the artist responsible for the mosaic mural of Roberto Clemente that adorns the outside of Roberto Clemente High School (1147 N. Western Ave).

Along with the mural, the PRCC unveiled a five-foot tall bust of Juan Antonio Corretjer. The extremely talented Puerto Rican artist, Juan Nuñez, designed the impressive sculpture. It is an exact replica of the original work found in the entrance of the mountainous town of Ciales, the birthplace of Corretjer. In Chicago, the bust currently resides in the first floor of Bickerdike’s La Estancia Building (on the corner of Division and California).

These works were created to commemorate the Centennial of Juan Antonio Corretjer and 35th anniversary of the founding of the PRCC. In honor of a history that continues to be made, these artistic productions affirm Corretjer’s famous assertion: “Yo sería Borincano, aunque naciera en la luna.”

Marisol Rodríguez

Last month WTTW11 premiered “Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story,” a documentary about the struggles Puerto Ricans faced during their settlement in Chicago. Produced by married couple Antonio and Gloricelly Franceschi, “Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story,” uses interviews and news footage to present a first-of-its-kind chronological story of Chicago Boricuas.

The documentary begins with the Spanish American War of 1898 and the annexation of Puerto Rico as a United States territory and ends in present-day. At one point Antonio and Gloricelly considered centering the film on the 1966 Chicago riots, but decided to broaden the scope in order to include more historical context.

While conducting interviews with numerous Chicago Puerto Ricans for their documentary, Antonio and Gloricelly began to see a common thread connecting the experiences of these individuals—discrimination and poor quality of living.

Gloricelly, who moved to Chicago from Coamo, Puerto Rico in 1982, said she shares an affinity with the experiences of many of the interviewees, especially when they spoke of the trauma of leaving a familiar life in Puerto Rico for a new and strange one in the United States.
Gloricelly and her family settled near Foster and Ashland avenues, in the area known as the Andersonville. Her husband Antonio, who has family roots in Villalba, Puerto Rico, was born in Chicago and raised in the neighborhoods of Bucktown, Wicker Park and Logan Square.

Despite balancing parental and film-making responsibilities, Gloricelly said she and Antonio had relatively little difficulties in working on “Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story.”

“We really complement each other,” Gloricelly said. “Where [Antonio’s] weak, I’m strong and where I’m weak [Antonio’s] strong.”

In addition the couple shared a similar mission in their documentary making, which added to their personal relationship. “We have a passion to educate through the medium and I think that’s what makes us closer as a couple,” Gloricelly said.
The first project Antonio and Gloricelly worked on together was a public service announcement on AIDS. In 1998 they collaborated on “Siempre Caliente,” a television show on Latino popular culture.
Now that they have completed “Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story,” the couple is considering future projects.

Gloricelly mentioned a possible venture which stems from an idea the couple has had for many years– a television show called “Latinos on the move.” The program would highlight Latino professionals who are committed to promoting a healthy work environment and being active in their community.

In addition to “Latinos on the move,” Gloricelly said the translation of “Chicago’s Puerto Rican Story” is also in the works.

According to Gloricelly, Daniel Soles, Senior Vice President and Chief Television Content Officer of WTTW, is interested in producing a Spanish-language version of the documentary which would air on WTTW’s Spanish language television network, V-me.

Each year, Alderman Ocasio and the organizers of Fiesta Boricua (Bandera a Bandera) recognize the contributions of an important figure of the Puerto Rican community. This public recognition comes in the form of a bronze Paseo Boricua “Walk of Fame” medallion. Past honorees include musical icons Lucecita Benítez, Eddie Palmieri, and Willy Colón, as well as local political and community figures Congressman Luis Gutiérrez and Elías Díaz y Pérez. This year’s “Walk of Fame” honoree is Richard Carrion, the President and CEO of Banco Popular. On September 15, at Coco’s Restaurant (2723 W. Division) Alderman Ocasio and many community leaders and members honored Carrion with his very own Paseo Boricua “Walk of Fame” medallion, as a token of appreciation for his longstanding commitment to Paseo Boricua’s economic development and for his widespread promotion of Puerto Rican culture and identity.

A few years ago, a young Puerto Rican entrepreneur began the popular urban magazine, Entonce. If you are already familiar with the magazine, you know that its pages have featured interviews with some of the most popular music figures in the Puerto Rican/Latina/o community. If you are still in the dark about Entonce, we hope to introduce you…

La Voz: What lead to you to create Entonce magazine?
Entonce: Most of us Puerto Ricans like to talk a lot so I thought it would be profound if there was a magazine that our youth can relate to, enjoy, and possibly learn something from, and what better name than Entonce - it’s how you keep a story going. Plus my mom always told me I had the gift to write and that I had to start my own business. She’s been a big inspiration. God Bless her.

La Voz: What do you hope to accomplish with the magazine?
Entonce: To make the world a better place… It’s not easy being Puerto Rican/Latino. Entonce wants to touch more lives and say things that no other magazine says. We want to continue with our uniqueness and originality. It’s a complement when we see big companies emulate us. We are a family company. We stay real; we haven’t sold out. This is real life, it’s not corporate mumbo jumbo.

La Voz: What are some of the artists or issues have you featured?
Entonce: We featured Willie Colon, Fat Joe, Tego Calderon, Pitbull, Jaslene (America’s Top Model), R. Kelly…we discuss real issues like gentrification, racism, violence, self image and things that go on in the hood, music, love and respect for one another. Our job is to capture the positive to help better peoples’ lives.
La Voz: How has the Puerto Rican community received the magazine?
Entonce: They have received it extraordinarily well. It flies out of stores. And not only Puerto Ricans, Mexicans have been supportive as well. Entonce has a global love. The people love it and it is free. They support it. Thank God for our fans. I am a strong believer in reading. It takes you out of this world. People need to read more…

La Voz: Any advice for our Puerto Rican youth?
Entonce: Make positive choices. Create a spiritual foundation in your life. Lead and do not follow. Strive to reach 80 years old. Take care of yourself. Strive for your dreams; live happily in the present moment… Live each day, as it was your last. Every person should know right from wrong; choose the right path. Give more love…and you will get more love.

La Voz: What do you see in the future for Entonce?
Entonce: We are celebrating the 4th anniversary issue which will be released July 14 and will be available on the web at www.entonce.com on August 1. Expect to see a lot more of Entonce!

Alicia Coria and two of her sons, Ivan Castro, 8, and Diego Castro, 10, never had a chance. As they crossed North Avenue at Kimball on an afternoon last October, an 87-year-old driver lost control of his car, ran a red light and slammed into the mother and her children, killing them all.

The accident shocked the entire city and particularly devastating for students and teachers at nearby Stowe Elementary School, where Ivan and Diego attended. To express their grief and affection for the family, students and others almost immediately assembled a community shrine of flowers and candles at the intersection and maintained it until earlier this year. But on May 14, that temporary memorial gave way to a more permanent remembrance of the two boys and their mother.

Under the tutelage of artists Mike Bancroft and Anthony Marcos Rea, Stowe third graders created and installed a portable mural depicting bilingual idioms, silhouettes of children, and the image of the mother holding her two children. The idioms say in Spanish and English, “Respect Signs,” as an admonition to motorists to obey traffic signals.

The community art project was spearheaded by Stowe Principal Dr. Charles Kyle, teachers Nellie Windsor and Juan Fernandez, and Bancroft and Rea, who are artists-in-residence at Stowe under a project of the School Engagement Initiative (SEI) that implements similar efforts in four other Humboldt Park schools. SEI places artists in classrooms to create cross-disciplinary arts projects that address the culture of the community and issues of community development.

The mural,  a series of plastic silhouettes of students portrayed against a colorful background made with mylar tape,  is affixed to two sides of a cyclone fence surrounding a vacant lot on the northeast corner of North and Kimball. It was officially unveiled on May 17, during a ceremony attended by students, artists, neighbors and local officials.

“People were distraught about the accident,” said Bancroft, who has worked at Stowe for the past year. “This project is helpful in showing students that art can happen through a context. They’re not just doing it for art’s sake.”

But students aren’t the only ones learning through the North Avenue mural project or others generated by SEI, said Jorge Félix, of the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (IPRAC), which with the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) administers SEI.

“In addition to the artists training the students, the program is about informing local artists who are new to the community what the culture is like here,” he said. “Art can change minds and it can educate.” And through SEI, that process is a two-way street.

SEI is funded by LISC/Chicago, the City of Chicago Cultural Outreach Program and The National Endowment for the Arts.

At two o’clock, on Saturday, June 14, Humboldt Park’s Puerto Rican community will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the People’s Parade along “La Division.”

Before 1978, when the Humboldt Park Puerto Rican community first gathered to celebrate the People’s Parade, Chicago Boricuas traveled downtown to attend the city’s Puerto Rican Day Parade. However, the dislocation of the city’s parade from where Puerto Ricans lived motivated the Humboldt Park residents to create their own parade, thus taking ownership of their cultural expression, according to PRCC executive director, Jóse E. López.

López also noted that the People’s Parade was formed to have an event that addressed the social issues of the Puerto Rican community. “We could do parades, but unless they spoke to our reality, they become sterile.”

The issues that affect this community are manifested in the selected themes of each People’s Parade as well as the social message of the various floats. The first parade addressed police brutality in the community, which had been tragically highlighted by the killing of two Puerto Rican youths by Chicago police officers during this period. The mother of one of these two men, Virginia Cruz, who recently passed, will be honored at this year’s People’s Parade.

“Aesthetics as resistance – the act of community building” is the theme of this year’s People’s Parade. The theme relates to the Humboldt Park communities’ resistance to displacement through gentrification, according to parade coordinator, Leony Calderón.

Calderón, who also works at the PRCC’s Vida/SIDA, an AIDS education and prevention Program, said the average cost of putting together the parade is about $13,000. The funding for the parade comes primarily from the sale of advertisements, which have been printed in La Voz each year, for the past three years and in a separate ad book previously.

This is Calderón’s seventh year as parade coordinator, a position for which she is not paid but does as a volunteer. Her involvement in organizing the parade began when she served on its committee, under the leadership of, then parade coordinator, Josefina Rodríguez.

The first time Calderón attended the People’s Parade was as a high school junior at Latino Youth, an alternative high school located nearby the Pilsen area. Her advisor at the time, Roberto Sanabria, a current PRCC board member, told Calderón about the parade. She remembered the impression a large crowd of Puerto Ricans had on her.

Despite the challenges that Calderón faces in putting together this important community event, she said the final product is worth it.

“The day of the parade … when we blow the whistle and say ‘Let’s start,’ that’s the joy,” Calderón said. “That’s really why I do it.”

On Saturday, May 24, Ambiente del Paseo held a BBQ fundraiser to launch its new campaign, “Más Color, Más Poder.” Ambiente is a newly formed collective recently launched by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center as one of Humboldt Park’s first LGBTQ organizations. The “Más Color, Más Poder” campaign seeks to raise awareness about and combat homophobia and transphobia in the Humboldt Park community. The May 24 Fundraiser, held at La Casita de Don Pedro and dedicated to the memory of Eric Rice, was a huge success.

Nearly 100 attendees of all ages enjoyed the food, music, performances by contestants in the 2008 Cacica Pageant, raffles, and statements by prominent community members and other officials. José E. Lopez, Executive Director of the Juan Antonio Corretjer Puerto Rican Cultural Center, explained the historic nature of this event to the audience. While the Puerto Rican Cultural Center has a long history of supporting LGBTQ issues, homophobia and transphobia are continuing problems in the Humboldt Park community. The fact that this event was held outdoors at La Casita and attended by people of all ages, including many families, demonstrates the community support that Ambiente enjoys.

In her comments to the audience, Lourdes Lugo, Principal of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, spoke about the negative effects of homophobia and transphobia on the young people with whom she works. LGBTQ students are oftentimes the most likely to be rejected by their families and thus highly susceptible to dropping out. Rick Garcia, Political Director of Equality Illinois, celebrated the event’s success and reminded the audience of the passing of the non-discrimination bill in 2005, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations in the state of Illinois. The “Más Color, Más Poder” campaign will continue throughout 2008.

For more information about Ambiente del Paseo, contact Janeida Rivera at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center: Phone: 773.342.8023 Email: janeidar@prcc-chgo.org.